


A Growing Pride

by ElCapitan18



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-26
Updated: 2015-08-26
Packaged: 2018-04-17 09:33:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4661640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElCapitan18/pseuds/ElCapitan18
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's bath-time for the Rutherford cub, and the sight of Cullen with their daughter stirs something inside of Delani.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Growing Pride

A grin carved across her lips as she leaned her weight against the door frame. Delani watched with secondhand delight, a laugh in her throat at the sight of bath-time in full effect. 

“The water is getting cold, pup,” Cullen was trying to disguise his own amusement behind a stern parental mask. He was holding up a towel, attempting to coax their daughter from the tub so that he could dry her off. “It is time to get out, or you’ll catch a cold.”

She shook her head, simpering widely at the game she thought they were playing. Her rose gold curls clung to her shoulders, damp waves that made her hair look more red than its usual blonde. Droplets of water pebbled over her tanned surface, her complexion a few shades darker than Cullen’s and a few shades lighter than Delani’s. Her soft surface was dusted with freckles, a smattering of them decorating her nose and cheek bones; reminding Delani of her own father, who'd had a thousand constellations decorating his skin. Hazel eyes sparkled with mischief, golden irises were ringed with jade and flecked with emerald. She was the perfect balance of Delani and Cullen; their traits, both physical and and personality, melded harmoniously to make one perfect little hellion with an infectious laugh. 

“I don’t wanna, _papae,_ ” her words fluttered with her giggling. The water sloshed as she retreated to the far end of the tub. 

Though she couldn’t see his face, Delani could imagine the expression Cullen was wearing with perfect clarity. His eyebrow was likely quirked in silent scolding, and his lips pulled slightly in the barest of smiles. Delani could tell by the set of his shoulders that her husband was struggling not to laugh at their daughter’s pout and waterlogged determination. 

Amusement was alight in his voice when he replied. “After all that fighting to get you _in_ the tub, _ma’vherain_ , you’re now going to fight me on getting you out?”

Their daughter nodded quickly, a grin on her lips and a giggle in her throat. “Tell me another story about the Pirate Queen, _papae_!”

Delani stepped in then, knowing that Cullen would allow their daughter to make her case and indulge an argument before evicting her from the tub. After a clap of her hands, she snapped her fingers before waving for the girl to climb out of the water. “Come now, _emma lath_. If you want to hear of Admiral Isabela’s exploits Uncle Varric will be the one to share them with you… when you’re older.”

Her bottom lip jutted out and her eyebrows bent with distress, wide eyes were glittering with forced tears. “But, _mamae_ …”

Training her expression to maternal admonishment, Delani stood behind Cullen’s crouching form and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “No ‘but, _mamae,_ ’ your father said out of the tub.” Their daughter’s disappointed expression deepened and Delani’s grew harder in response. “Besides, your fingers are starting to look more wrinkled than Mother Gisselle. Best get out now before you’re stuck that way.”

“ _Ma atishan_ ,” the reprimand in Cullen’s voice pulled a smirk onto Delani’s lips and a laugh from their daughter. 

Not wanting to risk being wrinkled like the Chantry Mother, she acquiesced to their request and stood from the tub, allowing Cullen to swaddle her in the warm towel. As Cullen ruffled the moisture from her hair, she requested, “Will you tell me another story before bed, _papae_? _Pleeease_?”

He and Delani exchanged looks before Cullen picked up their towel wrapped daughter into his arms and placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. “One story,” he agreed a slave to his daughter and her desires. “Then it’s off to bed without a peep. Understood, _ma’vherain_?”

The girl secured in his arms simpered victoriously before nodding her agreement to his terms. 

Cullen strode the two steps to where Delani was standing and passed their daughter into her possession. He leaned down to steal a kiss from his wife before placing one on their daughter’s brow. Delani patted her back with the assurance, “Once I’ve got you ready for bed _papae_ will regale you with a single story. So choose wisely.”

Delani winked at Cullen before leaving for their daughter’s room. Once there she managed to wrangle her in to her nightclothes, fight a long tooth comb through her drying curls, and tug those curls into a long braid. By the time that Delani was finished preparing her for bed, their daughter was having a difficult time keeping her eyes open. She wouldn’t make it to the end of Cullen’s story, as was their plan all along. 

Smiling down at the child still too small for the bed she slept in, Delani was filled with a warmth she would never grow accustomed to, and a love she would never reach the limits of. “ _Nehnan eras, ara vherain._ ”

When Cullen knocked on the door frame, Delani already had the girl tucked under the covers with her toy sword hugged to her chest. She brushed her strawberry blonde curls back and pressed a kiss to her crown before pushing herself up off of the bed, and walking over to where her bond-mate was standing. Delani placed a hand on her husband’s chest and they exchanged knowing looks before Delani left the room so that Cullen could wish their daughter a goodnight. 

She left for their chambers with her hands held behind her back, walking casually through the great hall without the worry of reports on her desk or requisitions in need of approval. For a single night the evening was hers and Delani planned on spending it relaxing with her husband. Even if her role as Inquisitor was now more political in nature, moments of reprieve such as this were few and far between. She was going to take full advantage of it. 

Even with sleep so close to abducting her for the night, it still took Cullen more than half an hour to be released from their daughters room and return to their chambers. Delani was standing in front of the hearth, watching the fire dance when he opened the door to their quarters and started up the stairs. His steps were light, unhurried, until he was finally standing behind her, wrapping Delani up in his arms and pulling her against his chest.

Dropping his chin onto her shoulder, they stood silently for a moment, both watching the fire burn as their minds drifted to different places. After a few seconds Cullen pressed a kiss to Delani’s temple and turned her around to face him. He smiled down at her, the upturn of his lips as tender as his touch as he threaded his fingers through her hair and combed it out of her face. 

Delani didn’t know why the motion made a tightness grow in her chest. She couldn’t begin to explain why she was having such a difficult time finding her breath. The pain stabbing her sinuses like a thousand needles was beyond her explanation. When Cullen reached up to wipe away the tears that had fallen from her eyes, a blush burned just under her cheeks. Her emotions had more peaks and valleys than all of the Frostbacks, and she couldn’t begin to explain why. 

“Are you alright, Delani,” asked Culllen, his voice quiet as to not provoke her unsteady emotions further. He held her face between his hands and stared at her with concern in his lovely amber eyes. The worry in his gaze pulled a sob from her and the furrow of Cullen’s brow deepened in response. “You’ve been emotional for the past two weeks now.”

With a shake of her head, Delani held Cullen’s hands against her cheeks and lamented, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

He pulled her into his chest and rubbed the tension from her back. Stroking her long auburn hair, Cullen soothed her with sweet murmurs before making the observation, “The last time you were like this was when you were carrying our daughter.”

A chuckle rumbled through Delani as she nuzzled herself into Cullen’s embrace. “You’re right,” she replied with a chuckle, remembering how much of a mess she’d been those first few weeks of her pregnancy. After a moment tension stiffened Cullen’s arms around her, and Delani quickly did the calculations in her head.

The same time that Cullen started to ask, “Are you…” she cursed, “ _Fenedhis._ ”


End file.
